The ReUse People of AmericaThe ReUse People reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse.

Since 1993:

•TRP has deconstructed over 2,000 houses and other buildings to salvage reusable materials.

•TRP has diverted over 350,000 tons of reusable materials from landfills.

•TRP has trained over 500 unemployed, underemployed and disadvantaged workers.

•TRP has trained over 71 contractors, who in turn create needed construction jobs.

Since 1993, architects, contractors and building owners have relied on TRP to keep reusable and recyclable building materials out of overburdened landfills. By de-constructing (instead of demolishing) a building, TRP is able to salvage up to 80 percent of the materials and channel them back into the marketplace through donations and sales at its network of retail outlets.

The Latest TRP News:

Ken Ortiz, TRP's Chicago Regional Manager, was featured in this great article on Huffington Post. Ken formed a partnership with the ReBuilding Exchange in Chicago to promote deconstruction and building material salvage, and to create employment opportunities. Their partnership has expanded to include other Chicago nonprofits to help unemployed and unemployable workers find jobs and training in the green industry.

When hiring a contractor, most building owners (particularly homeowners) gravitate to the lowest bid in order to save money. Unfortunately, by seeking the lowest price they frequently wind up with contractors who cut corners. As a licensed contractor for over 18 years, I can tell you that the first corner to be cut by many contractors is safety.

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. It not only marks the beginning of a great human experiment in liberty and individual freedom, it celebrates an evolution of political thought spanning some 2,500 years—Aristotle, Cicero, Cato, the Magna Carta, John Locke, Edmond Burke and many others—which has delivered to Americans the most envied way of life in the world.

In this very interesting political season, you've probably seen or heard the term, "creative destruction." It's been used repeatedly in reference to the process by which Bain Capital and other private equity firms dismantle struggling companies to allow for their reorganization and rebirth -- or, in some cases, demise. Ah, the Phoenix Rising!